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Thunderbird Mail on a PC
Computing Services Information Document	PC/Windows

Configuring Thunderbird Mail from Home (or Office)

Writing and Sending a New Message

To compose a new message in the Thunderbird Mail window click on the Write icon on the toolbar. This will bring up a "blank" email message window. Simply enter the recipient's email address in the "To:" field, enter a brief subject in the "Subject:" field, and then compose your message in the main body. When you are ready to send the email, click on the Send icon.

Checking for New Messages

To check for new email messages click on the Get Mail icon.
You may be prompted for your password. After you enter your password, Thunderbird Mail will check your account for new email, retrieve any new messages, and put them into your Inbox folder.

Reading a message

To read a message simply click on the header (Subject, Sender, Date) . The message will appear in the bottom half of the Thunderbird Mail window. To view your message in a separate window, just double click the header.

Printing a Message

To print an email message, first highlight the header and click on the Print icon . If you have a local printer attached, that will appear as your first choice under Printer Name, or you may select another network printer by clicking on the scroll menu ("Down" Arrow).  After selecting the printer, click OK.

Replying to a Message

To reply to a message, first highlight the header and click on the Reply icon. You now enter your reply in the message body. When you are ready to send the file, click on the Send icon. If you are replying to multiple people, use the reply all icon.

Forwarding a message

To forward a message to another email address, first highlight the header and click on the Forward icon. Next, enter the email address that you want to send the message to in the "To:" field. You can then add to the old message by typing in the main body window. When you are ready to send the file, click on the Send icon.

Deleting a Message

To delete a message, highlight the header and click on the Delete icon. This will mark your message to be deleted upon exit. To permanently delete messages before exiting, you compact the folder by selecting File and then Compact this folder.

Attaching a File to a Message

To attach a file to an email that you are composing, click on the Attach icon in the toolbar . Select the file or webpage you want to attach and finish composing your message as usual. When you are ready to send the message with the attachment, click on the Send icon.

Saving and Viewing Attached Files

With Thunderbird Mail, if you have the correct application such as word, excel, etc. on your PC, when you click on the attachment name, it will ask if you want to open or save the file. If a file cannot be opened by Thunderbird Mail, you will have to save it. Later, you can open it with the proper application for that type of file.